Parental leave

For parents, Sweden is a very supportive country. Parental leave is a central part of Swedish family life, making it possible to have children while continuing your career. Leave is paid for 480 days, shared between mother and father, and amounts to a large portion of your usual salary.

Parental leave allows parents to stay home with their children while keeping their job. Parents are entitled to 480 days of paid leave per child, with 60 days being reserved for each parent. This is mainly to encourage equality and shared responsibility. Fathers are also entitled to 10 extra paid days of leave when the child is born.

The Swedish parental leave system is quite flexible. Parents can choose to be off work for extended periods, single days or parts of days. Time off can even be saved and used at any time from 60 days before the expected delivery date until the child reaches the age of eight.

Parental allowance is taxed like other income and counts toward pensions. For 390 of the 480 days, the amount is the same as for sickness benefit: 80 percent of benefits-based income, depending on how much you earn. The maximum parental allowance is SEK 874 a day (2009). For the remaining 90 days, the allowance is SEK 180 a day in the case of children born on July 1, 2006, or later; otherwise the allowance is SEK 60. If you happen to be sick during parental leave, you are still entitled to your usual paid sick leave, which is handled separately from your parental leave days.

Read more about benefits for families with children